1 computer 2 iPhones - How do I manage this?

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1 computer 2 iPhones - How do I manage this?

Both my wife and I each have an iPhone. We have a large music collection in iTunes. We want to share a single music folder (on a Windows based PC) for all our iPods and iPhones.

iPods are easy - we can use single user account (& iTunes) and select what we sync to each iPod. We have done this in the past and worked well.

But with iPhones if we use a single iTunes / account, then all our apps gets messed up. I get all her apps and she gets all my apps.

If we use two different account & iTunes to go along with it, we can keep the apps separate, but our iTunes don't see the music added from one iTune or other, and our music collection, playlist all are out of sync.

How do we get around one or other?

Windows XP

Posted on Apr 19, 2009 5:02 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 19, 2009 7:33 AM in response to Mettur Man

Each iPhone can have its own sync preferences with iTunes.

For music, you can choose selected playlists under the Music tab for the iPhone sync preferences with each iPhone selecting different playlists in the window below for each iPhone so the music on each iPhone can be different. Under the Photos tab for each iPhone, you can select different photos to be transferred, etc.

The same applies to Applications.

Under the Applications tab for the iPhone sync preferences with each iPhone, choose Selected applications. Select the applications you want installed or removed from each iPhone in the window below.

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Answer 2

Apr 19, 2009 7:33 AM in response to Mettur Man

You'll have to have two separate accounts.

About the music, you can purchase programs out there that will sync your music from multiple iTunes accounts/computers. Bear one caveat in mind, you not going to be able to share iPhone apps. Also, if you have any DRM'd music, you will not be able to share those either.

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Answer 3

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 7:43 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Allan Sampson wrote:
Each iPhone can have its own sync preferences with iTunes.

The same applies to Applications.

Under the Applications tab for the iPhone sync preferences with each iPhone, choose Selected applications. Select the applications you want installed or removed from each iPhone in the window below.

Thanks. I do see I can select the App I want to sync for each iPhone. My question is, when it backs up the same app from two different iPhone, what happens to the data inside the app? The two iPhone has some common app with different data. I have an app that sync up some folder in the web. Both have the same app, with different folders sync. If I use them with the same iTune, won't they get combined?

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Answer 4

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 7:45 AM in response to Revelation

Revelation wrote:
You'll have to have two separate accounts.

About the music, you can purchase programs out there that will sync your music from multiple iTunes accounts/computers. Bear one caveat in mind, you not going to be able to share iPhone apps. Also, if you have any DRM'd music, you will not be able to share those either.

I have seen a script for Mac. Is there an app for PC?

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Answer 5

Apr 19, 2009 7:46 AM in response to Mettur Man

3rd party apps are not included with the backup for each iPhone, but 3rd party app settings and data created and stored by a 3rd party app is included.

Just as each iPhone can have its own sync preferences with iTunes, each iPhone has its own backup with iTunes based on the name for each iPhone.

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Answer 6

Apr 19, 2009 7:48 AM in response to Mettur Man

I wouldn't mess with that - such "scripts" are not supported by Apple.

You can do everything you want to do with the information I provided without having to mess with any scripts or non-supported methods.

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Answer 7

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 8:25 AM in response to Allan Sampson

NOPE - it does not work

Now I have tried two different iPhone with same iTune - it just makes a copy of all the apps and put all the apps in the other iPhone. My wife had a few more app than I did (which I did not want), I got all her apps. Vice versa, She got all my apps.

Using same iPhone will just add all the apps and its settings to both the iPhones.

I am going the route of maintaining two different iTunes. I need to find a way to manage the combined music library.

Thanks for your help though.

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Answer 8

Apr 19, 2009 8:32 AM in response to Mettur Man

YES - this DOES work.

I do this with my iPhone 3G and with my first generation iPhone.

Garbage in = Garbage out.

With each iPhone, you must choose selected applications under the Applications tab for the iPhone sync preferences followed by selecting the apps in the window below that you want installed on the iPhone and deselecting the apps in the window below that you don't want installed on the iPhone - for each iPhone.

I do this all the time with 2 iPhone's connected to the same computer, iTunes account, and iTunes library.

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Answer 9

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 9:19 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Well I agree Garbage In = Garbage out.

But I do not agree what I did was Garbage In 🙂

So it needs to be done totally manually meaning select app that need to be synced.

What happens when a new app get added? Does iTune add that to this list automatically? Meaning even though each list is separate, it recognizes each iphone with its list of app, and adds a new one to that particular list?

Again thanks for your help on this.

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Answer 10

Apr 19, 2009 9:41 AM in response to Mettur Man

Don't take it personally since the same happens to everyone at one time or another.

You push the wrong button or key command that is required for a desired function, or don't make the correct selection for a desired function and get a different or an undesired outcome, that is garbage in = garbage out.

Please read my previous posts. I do not know how to provide the information I provided any clearer, but I will try. This is no different from wanting to have different music, video, podcasts, or photos on two different iPods or iPhones that are synced with the same iTunes library and iTunes account on the same computer.

I'm not sure why or how you expect 3rd party apps to be any different. The iPhone is smart, but it isn't that smart. You can't have all applications selected under the Applications tab for the iPhone sync preferences with each iPhone and via ESP or something, each iPhone will know which apps you want on each iPhone without telling iTunes or selecting with iTunes which apps you want on each iPhone. No different if each of you want different music, video, podcasts, and photos on your iPhone. You must manually select this under the various tabs for the iPhone sync preferences with each iPhone.

When a new app gets added to your iTunes library, it will be selected automatically in the window below selected applications for your iPhone sync preferences.

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Answer 11

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 5:59 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Allan,

Thanks for your help on this.

I made some assumptions, which are wrong (it looks like). Historically music, video get created or modified in Tunes and loaded on to iPod. iPod does not make changes to these (with the exception of rating). In the case of rating, if one user changes the rating, every one get the modified rating.

But in iPhone data gets created and modified on a regular basis. If this data is synced then each user will be modifying others data. But as you pointed out much earlier the data is backed up. Only the application. This is where I made the mistake.

Not sure why is this, since one would think we can always download the application but customization and data are the only important info, which is not backed up. If it was backed up, then it will collide with each user's info.

Again thanks for the info.

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Answer 12

Apr 19, 2009 6:16 PM in response to Mettur Man

You're welcome.

Not sure why is this, since one would think we can always download the application but customization and data are the only important info, which is not backed up. If it was backed up, then it will collide with each user's info.

The backup iTunes creates and maintains for the iPhone includes data such as most iPhone settings, email account settings, contact info, SMS messages, notes, recent calls, call favorites, photos in the iPhone's camera roll, and 3rd party app settings and data created and stored by a 3rd party app.

The backup is updated if needed as the first step during the sync process - if any of data on the iPhone that is included with the backup has changed since the last sync, which is usually 100% of the time.

This is for each iPhone based on the name of the iPhone - more than likely your iPhone and your wife's iPhone will not have the same name. When syncing more than one iPhone with iTunes on the same computer, the backup for each iPhone is kept separate and does not collide with another iPhone.

You and your wife can install the same app. You and your wife can have different settings for the app on each other's iPhone. If the app creates and stores data, you and your wife can have different data for the app on each other's iPhone. When you sync your iPhone, your iPhone's backup will include the settings for the app, and data created and stored by the app on your iPhone. When your wife syncs her iPhone, her iPhone's backup will include the settings for the app, and data created and stored by the app on her iPhone.

This will not collide with the same app installed on each iPhone. App settings, and data created and stored by an app is not stored with the app in iTunes.

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Answer 13

Mettur Man Author

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Apr 19, 2009 6:23 PM in response to Allan Sampson

You are correct. For the benefit of others who may search this, I do want to add one more item.

I did look inside the directory "Mobile Applications" in the iTunes directory. There are two files for the shared apps, and one file for unique apps, indicating the data is kept separate.

Thanks.

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